


The Light That Fights the Darkness

by Glowstick_ofdestiny



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015), Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi (2017), Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Abandonment, Childhood, Childhood Memories, F/M, Family Issues, Gen, Han tried to be a good dad, Kylo Ren Angst, Kylo Ren Has Issues, Kylo Ren and Rey Are Not Related, Kylo Ren is a Mess, Kylo's just trying to do what's right, Leia has hope for her son, Light Side, Lightsabers, Mentioned Han Solo, Multi, Skywalker Family Drama, Spoilers, Star Wars: The Last Jedi Spoilers, That's not really what the story is about though, The Dark Side of the Force, They should totally get together though, Young Ben Solo, implied reylo, so many spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-22
Updated: 2017-12-22
Packaged: 2019-02-18 14:44:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,924
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13102362
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Glowstick_ofdestiny/pseuds/Glowstick_ofdestiny
Summary: Ben Solo wanted to draw his own path through this life; but his path was already being drawn for him with every step he took and every truth he learned.The life of Ben Solo and how the weight of a legacy pushed him to become Kylo Ren.





	The Light That Fights the Darkness

**Author's Note:**

> WARNING!: Major The Last Jedi Spoilers. If you haven't seen it go watch it then come back. 
> 
> Otherwise, hi again! This is my third Kylo fanfiction I've written and it details of how Ben Solo became Kylo and how Ben Solo may not be completely lost after all. I've used details and direct quotes form The Last Jedi and The Force Awakens. This is just my interpretation on things, no hate. 
> 
> I own non of these characters or settings. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy the fanfiction!

_You’re not alone…_

_Neither are you…_

Some people have their greatness thrust upon them it is sometimes said; but what fate befalls those who’s gifted greatness is over shadowed by a similarly gifted darkness. The weight of a legacy; some wear it on their head like a crown whilst others carry in around their neck unable to bear the weight of all that has come before them. Ben Solo wanted to draw his own path through this life; but his path was already being drawn for him with every step he took and every truth he learned.

Home was a word he rarely connected with the house he grew up in and the people who lived there. There were times though that he would try to remove from his mind. Snippets of a happiness that he grew out of quickly. Occasional ventures out by his father turned into week long trips of hearing nothing from him but the silence in the wake of a jump into hyperspace. The sky suddenly empty before Ben could form a goodbye on his lips. His mother was there though, when she could be. With her duties as a respected senator in the New Republic she had very little time for her son. They were connected though, on a level beyond Solo’s comprehension.

The Force was strong with them both and from day one Leia could sense an unrest in her son’s heart. The light and dark within him were uneasy and only grew more so with age. After learning that his grandfather was the infamous Darth Vader, Ben longed to figure where his place in the galaxy sat. His mother saw in him the same conflict that raged inside of Anakin; a rage that led him to fall to the dark side. When the time was right she placed Ben in the hands of Luke in the hope that learning more about the ways of the Force would tip the balance back to the light. The weight of the past bore heavy on the shoulders of Ben Solo. Whilst he wanted to prove himself a powerful Jedi his mind could not resist wandering to the dark side. Fate tempted him with the promise of upholding the powerful characters of his past through the shadows of The First Order and Snoke’s words and encouragement that he could be the next Vader looping endlessly in his mind.

_“Even my own blood feared me. You can’t let him stop you from what you were supposed to become; he tried to stop me…He was afraid of what I was to become. He saw me as dangerous. A spark of something terrible to be snuffed out of existence; my entire future decided for me whilst I was still a Padawan.”_

In a second of uncertainty Luke had set in motion something he was entrusted to deny. Ben Solo slipped away that night just like the ashes of the burning temple slipped away with the breeze.

_“Don’t allow the same fate to befall you Rey.”_

Kylo Ren was born from these ashes and left Ben Solo to be a simple memory for his parents to grieve over. Though she always held the hope he would return to the light. The more Kylo trained under Snoke the more Ben became a distant memory to all including himself; proving to be the most gifted apprentice he was the embodiment of the new generation of the dark side which would fill the void left by the fall of the Sith. All Kylo wanted though, was to put the past behind him. Become immune to the light that he was once taught could save all. The same light his Uncle believed so strongly in and the same light his grandfather had fought so hard to eradicate.  

His quest to finish what his Grandfather started would begin with his Uncle; with the last remaining Jedi Master eliminated there would be no one to train the next generation of the Jedi Order. But with his sudden disappearance after Kylo’s turn there was only missing map fragments to be found before revenge could be had. He would never have imagined the hunt for the BB unit harbouring the other half would lead him to cross paths with a scavenger from the junk planet Jakku.

Rey. The light. The scavenger who dreamed of an island in the oceans. The girl with the unknown power inside of her and the power to bar Kylo entrance from her mind. He saw the trepidation flash across her hazel eyes as he tried to hunt her mind for the map scraps…Then the flicker of a joint power flowing between them. Something mutual; a band connecting the dark and the light for a fleeting moment. As soon as it appeared it was gone and with the shock of it suddenly Kylo found Rey inside his head. A warm feeling, like the glow of sun on skin after a long winter. The similar warmth that the pull from the light side felt like. He didn’t fully understand but he wanted her to stay, he saw something like home in her…

But he didn’t want home…Did he? There was no home for him, Kylo Ren had no home accept in the ranks of the First Order. Ben Solo on the other hand…He wanted home. Then there again was the pull, the whisper of the light wanting to bring him back to his old life he’d tried so hard to forget. His father’s stare cutting through him on that bridge in the near darkness pulled these feelings to the surface.

_“I’m being torn apart…I want to be free of this pain.”_

The chance at a redemption in the form of the father that was never there; he could have taken it and trusted him once again. The sight of that garbage ship The Falcon cruised across his memory again and the years of having nothing but a famous name and no person behind it to parent him came flooding back. The fiery red blade of the lightsaber slicing through Han’s back, his face pained and his eyes still cutting to the core of his son. Past all the damage and the years of pain and conditioning and training to Ben. Guilt washing over Kylo as he watched his father fall away out of his arms. A similar shock flushed over him when he watched debris and the remnants of his mother’s ship float through space. Another pillar of his old life knocked out within a blink of an eye. He fought hard to not let the tears spill down his face then.

Constantly he tried to push through the veil of his past and who he thought was standing in the way of him becoming the new Vader. Cutting down his father; nearly killing the defective Stormtrooper to get to Rey in the forest shortly after; watching as someone else took the shot that probably killed his mother. Fighting so hard to find Skywalker. All efforts and still the unbalance wavered in him.

_“Take that ridiculous thing off…You are no Vader. You are just a child in a mask.”_

Supreme Leader’s words echoing around him. A wash of shame coming over him even though he did all that was asked. Watching Rey standing before the man that could kill her in an instant if he wanted; after telling Kylo she could see his future, that she could see Ben Solo returning, that she would help him…And all he was doing was standing by unsure of what was right. The warmth of the light filled his mind again; Rey’s warmth filled his mind again and then the decision didn’t seem so hard. The true enemy presented himself then; and yes, Kylo was going to kill him. Blue light conflicting against the dark and the red of the room as the blade sliced through Snoke’s side. Rey’s eyes reflecting the same blue of the blade as it came back to her hand; illuminating the mix of surprise and hope on her face by what had just happened.

_“Rey…I want you to join me. The Empire, your parents, the Resistance, the Sith, the Jedi…Let the past die, Rey. Kill it, if you have to. That’s the only way to become what you are meant to be.”_

Hand outstretched to her, a pleading look in his eyes for her to take it. Just ghost her hand against his like she had done on Ahch-To when they had reached to each other through the Force. In part he felt that by doing so he was protecting her, just like he had done in the forest after their first battle. Offering to teach her so she wouldn’t befall the same fate he had done at Luke’s hands. Now, offering her a space next to him to start over, forget the rebellion and the First Order and let it fall away to nothing but a memory for the galaxy to tell stories about in years to come.

_“Don’t do this, Ben. Please don’t go this way.”_

There was no other way to go though, this was what felt right. From their first encounter to being linked by the Force…Each the opposite side of the other, sharing spots of light and dark within them. Was he Ben…Or was he still Kylo? A rage boiling up inside from the torment of the unanswered questions that surrounded him nearly all his life. He wanted none of it he just wanted to sweep away the past now, push it away from him. To be free of the pain that was tearing him apart. To be free of Skywalker…

All the years of training had mounted to this moment on the red white plains of Crait. All the time spent in search of map chats and co-ordinates; boiling down to this one fight. Lightsabres drawn and ready. Every fibre in his being pushing to run forward and impale Skywalker’s chest with his scorching red blade. Luke was almost beckoning him to take a swing, to start the inevitable, finish the conflict set in motion all those moons ago by a spilt second misjudgement and a failure on the part of a Master to see past the ancient history of his apprentice. Kylo couldn’t hold it back any longer.

Sprinting over the white ground, painting red footprints in his wake. Thrusting the blade clean through his opponents middle without even a flinch or second thought. Stopping in his tracks and turning to see…Skywalker still standing. Not a scratch on him or pained expression; just a slight smirk.

_“See you around kid.”_      

Skywalker’s cape billowed in the frozen wind before resting on the red and white ground. Kylo’s eyes scanning around. The very foundation of his being shook by al that had just transpired before him; the man he had resented most was finally gone…But there was nothing, but a hollow space left within Ben’s sole. Triumph and relief would have felt welcome at this point but all he could grasp onto was how lonely he now felt. Even though his mother wasn’t dead she was so far from him now; no hope of forgiveness for all he had done. Rey as well; an ally in abandonment, possibly too far from his reach at this moment flying across the galaxy. He could still feel her though, that same warm sunlight in his mind.   

_“You’re not alone Rey.”_

_“Neither are you Ben…”_

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! 
> 
> And my the Force be with you always. 
> 
> Happy Holidays and Happy New Year to you all!


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